Why?
by Still Seeing Leaves
Summary: If she knew, and he knew she knew, then why the hell? Faberry, with Sam tagging along for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** If she knew, and he knew she knew, then why the hell?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings:** Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one-sided, Rachel/Quinn.

* * *

Even though the whole school had suspected it the moment they'd laid eyes on him, he'd gotten Quinn Fabray to say yes to him, and that laid to rest all rumors about his leanings towards Noah Puckerman.

He'd thought that when he'd denied the fact that he was gay, she'd bought it. Sam had been so relieved, thinking that the only thing he needed to do was to be the attentive boyfriend, making out just enough to seem eager, and backing off just enough to seem polite. It was going to be perfect, except for one thing - she caught him with his pants down and a Playgirl in his hands.

But rather than strangle his throat and then his reputation, Quinn had calmly stepped out and shut the door, asking him to take his time and call her when he got the time. It was that evening that he'd discovered the fact that Quinn Fabray had far, far more intelligence than he'd thought.

She'd made it very clear to him that she'd been fully aware of the fact that he was every bit as gay as Kurt Hummel, and she didn't have any problem with that, In fact, it was great for both of them, since neither of them now had to endure the make out sessions while pretending not to be grossed out.

He'd never asked her why she was agreeing to help him, because as far as he knew her, Quinn didn't just lend a helping hand to random people till there was something in it for her. But since she wasn't offering any information, he didn't push. He'd been bullied enough in his old school, and if she would cover for him, then he didn't need to know why.

But as they sat together in Glee, dutifully keeping their hands wrapped around each other, he noticed. How couldn't he, if he was with her all the time?

He noticed that when Berry went into one of her tirades, Quinn developed a distinct flush on her cheeks, and seemed to lose the ability to look up. He'd noticed how her eyes appeared to be glued to Rachel's legs every time the girl wore one of those indecently short skirts.

And since he'd perfected the art of sneaking glances at Puck without others noticing, he'd noticed when she did the same thing with Rachel. There was also the matter of her practically ripping his arm off every time Finn and Rachel made a very public display of their affection. He still had nail marks.

It had been almost impossible to believe at first, considering the way Quinn treated Rachel. When he'd thought about it the first time, he'd casually brought up Rachel in conversation a few times, only to have Quinn spew venom at him. But he'd noticed each time that her anger had been too intense, too deep to just be a high-school rivalry. There was something more going on.

Fact was, Quinn Fabray was covering for herself just as much as she was covering for him. He finally understood why it had been so easy to get her to date him, to accept his promise ring and to keep his secret - it was an awesome deal for her too.

She had her secrets and he had his. Planting a kiss on her forehead and bringing his hand around her waist, he thanked his stars for this stroke of luck. How often did it happen that two people so perfect for each other ended up together?

He was content with not sharing this piece of information with her, because she would probably go ballistic denying it. But that was okay too. If she wanted to hide the fact that she was mooning after someone who didn't return her sentiments, he wasn't complaining.

But as he glanced at the object of Quinn's affection, he nearly fell off his chair at the deadly look she was shooting his almost unknowingly. As he removed his hand from around Quinn, the tension in Rachel's shoulders dissipated and she looked away, focusing once more on Mr. Shue. Well well. Who knew?

* * *

I guess this just goes to show how desperate I am for Quinn to be gay:) Reviews are love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** If Rachel wanted her, and if Quinn knew Rachel wanted her, then why the hell not? Because of him, that's why.

Not as Sam friendly as the last chapter. And yes, this was a one-shot, but so many people put story alerts, and there were a few 'subtle' requests, so here it is. But it won't be long, and it's fairly fast paced.

**Chapter Title: **Why Not?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings:** Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one-sided, Rachel/Quinn.

* * *

As previously stated, Sam was perfectly fine with the fact that his girlfriend had a crush on Rachel Berry, because of the fact that he had a crush on Noah Puckerman and another member of the football team. He had no intention of waving a rainbow-colored flag around just to get a wedgie on it, so their little arrangement was working just fine. From his side, that is.

Quinn, he wasn't so sure of anymore. She seemed to be more and more on edge lately, picking fights with him in front of the school, shrugging him off whenever he tried to hug her and being a general pain in the ass. He'd stopped trying for some time, hoping that no one would notice, but even when he was standing on the opposite side of the room, there seemed to be a dark cloud hanging over her head.

And to add to his discomfort, she seemed to be getting way too close to Berry, and not to trip her up. No, Quinn was suddenly going out of her damn way to help Berry. The time when she'd asked Finn to date her again was fine, because they hadn't hooked up at that time, and it did actually look legit. But then she'd started doing what Rachel asked, like following her to the hospital to pray for Mr. Hummel and going along with all her song suggestions.

But that was okay too. He could understand the fact that she wanted to be closer to the object of her infatuation without having to make the brunette cry every time they got within a foot of each other. Sam had thought that Quinn was declaring a truce, trying to be friends with Rachel, so he'd ignored it. He got to stare at Puck and Dan in various stages of undress every day, so he really had no right to stop Quinn.

Little did he know that a truce was the last thing Quinn had in mind. She was getting far too fed up of the way she was tearing down Rachel's self esteem every single day. She'd seen the way the other girl looked at her and she was fairly sure of the fact that her feelings were reciprocated. Or she had been anyway.

In the past few weeks, Rachel had begun to look at her differently, in an almost disappointed sort of way and that look was bothering her far more than all the times she'd actually made the brunette cry. This was different, and she waas afraid that if she continued her torture of the girl, she'd lose her... Well, not love but lust, infatuation maybe?

She didn't have any plans of courting Rachel anytime soon, but the fact that her father wasn't micro-managing her life now meant that she wouldn't be grounded for speaking to 'that vile piece of filth'. That in turn meant that she could stop putting up a million walls to keep Rachel from getting close to her.

Not that the walls had been of much use before, mind you. Rachel Berry seemed to possess this amazing ability to put little explosives in all her walls, blow them up, and then approach her with that disarming smile. No matter what Quinn had done, Rachel was always willing to help her, to let her be involved, to forgive her. But she knew that after the summer holidays, something had changed. Rachel was different now, and even though Quinn wasn't actually being mean to her, it wasn't helping.

She was oblivious to the fact that Rachel didn't want Quinn to not be mean to just her. She had thought that the side of Quinn they'd all seen after Regionals was there to stay, but after they'd all gotten back from the holidays, she'd been in for the shock of her life.

It was as if the the past four months had never happened. Quinn was back to her old bitching, scheming ways and the girl she'd gotten to know seemed to have vanished. It almost felt as if she was in a TV show whose writers didn't understand the term 'continuity'. After seeing the softer side of the other girl, the HBIC mode had been a little too much to handle.

She began to wonder if all her justifications for Quinn's actions were just a figment of her desperate imagination. She'd thought that she'd seen something in Quinn, something no one else saw, and she had wanted so badly to get to know the girl behind all those facades.

But with Quinn's recent behavior, even if it wasn't directed towards her, Rachel was questioning her own judgement. Maybe she had just been so desperate to find a reason for someone to be so cruel, that she'd thought up this wonderful, convenient explanation for Quinn's actions. Given the way the girl had been behaving this year, Rachel had been forced to think that maybe that soft side was just another charade to gain sympathy.

Quinn saw this doubt, these questions in Rachel's eyes, even if she didn't fully understand them. She wanted to know what had changed, and once she set her mind to being Rachel Berry's friend, in a very vague sense of the word, there was no turning back. Forgetting all that bullshit about not tormenting Rachel, she decided to make a sincere effort to befriend her. Because really, since when did not torturing someone make you their BFF? Or GF, for that matter. Quinn wasn't too bothered about the term, really.

And this was why she was suddenly being helpful to Rachel. She gave her a lift to school once, having seen the girl at the bus-stop. Rachel had actually checked the back of her skirt later, to see if there was some obscene message plastered on it, but then that was to be expected.

She'd also started agreeing with every idea Rachel came up with in Glee, even if it didn't particularly appeal to her. She voiced her approval enthusiastically every time, earning more than one funny look. But it didn't matter, because after the first few times when Rachel had been on guard for a sarcastic comment, the brunette had actually smiled at her. And these days, she'd automatically turn to Quinn for the expected approval, since no one else was going to support her. Totally, totally worth it.

Until, of course, Sam pulled her away from the corridor, where she was helping Rachel pick up books that Karofsky and Co. had chucked out of her locker, and into an empty classroom. There always seemed to be plenty of those available in their school.

"What the hell is the _matter_ with you? Have you completely lost your mind? People were _staring_ at you, Quinn," said Sam, gesticulating wildly with his hands. It had taken all his self-control to stop himself from literally ripping away Quinn's hand from Rachel's shoulder in the corridor as he saw the faces people were making, and now he just couldn't compose himself.

"Let _go_ of my hand, Sam," said Quinn. He immediately dropped her hand, bringing his own up to his hair. He placed the other hand on his hip, looking around the room for a few moments before speaking again.

"What were you thinking, huh? That you'd court Berry in the middle of the school corridor, and I'd let you hover over her like a love-sick fool?"

'Excuse me? That you'd _let me_? You think that being my boyfriend somehow gives you control over my actions? Which retarded universe are you living in, exactly?"

"See!" he said, throwing his hands up."You're not even denying it."

"Denying what? That I was courting Rachel? It's so ridiculous, that even denying it makes no sense."

"It's not ridiculous, Quinn, and I think both of us are aware of that. I'm not the only one in this room with a dirty little secret, so don-"

"Will you shut up, you pervert! You're gay, for God's sake! Why the hell are you coming up with these girl-on-girl fantasies? I thought you were into the whole macho, rippled ab guys."

"Yeah, I am. But you aren't, are you? Don't deny it, Quinn. I've seen the way you look at her. Hell, you were practically licking her shoes."

"So what if I was," said Quinn, looking at him defiantly." Huh? So what if I damn well was?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? Right, well I'll tell you so what - if anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone figures out what's going on with you, you'll be finished, and so will I. It's only one step from being a gay beard to being gay. They'll drive us out of the school, like they did with Kurt. But before actually throwing us out, they'll torture us. I know what that's like, okay? You don't."

"How do you know?"

"I was stupid enough to come out at my old school. They were really laid back guys, so I thought they'd be cool with it. But... You don't really want to know what happened, okay? Let's just say that you do not want to ever be as stupid as me. You know how people are, Quinn. You stand out, and they'll eat you alive."

"No need to tell me that."

"Exactly. So can you see how stupid what you're doing is? I get that you like her and stuff, but please, please just let this go already. We can't afford to mess this up."

"No, you can't. But I've messed up already, Sam. Rachel likes me, I know she does, but if I get back to all the crap I was doing, she's going to let go and then that's it. And it can't just be it."

"Oh really? So what can? Be practical, Quinn. Even if Rachel likes you like that, which I think she doesn't," he said, lying through his teeth," she'd not a very private person, in case you haven't noticed. I doubt she'll want to keep it under wraps, and what'll you do then? Be the new poster children for ACLU in McKinley? Yeah, right."

"Listen, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, I need to convince Rachel that I see her as a real person with feelings that I've hurt countless times. And there is nothing you can say to change my mind."

"I can't, can I? If you try to u-haul on me, I swear I'll tell that slime ball Jacob all about the two of you cozying up. You think Rachel will enjoy the allegation that the two of you are having a fling when there's nothing of the sort going on? She'll think you did it to humiliate her, and even if she doesn't, I think that the football team will rough her up enough to put an end to any romantic thought the two of you have," said Sam, trying not to cringe at his own words.

He knew it was way below the belt, but the memories of the genuinely cruel ragging he'd endured were frightening enough to make him feel like a cornered,injured animal. Sam knew that he didn't have the strength in him to go through it again, and who knew how bad it would be here? His panic was taking over his sense, and he was ready to do anything to make Quinn stop her crap.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, once everyone figures out Berry's queer, the slushies are going to be sold out every morning. And maybe Karofsky will take it upon himself to make her straight. You know, show her what real guys can-" his tirade was stopped short by the impact of Quinn's hand on his cheek. He didn't even register what had happened before she slapped him again and started to move away from him. He looked up with a stunned expression, his hand on his cheek, and saw that Quinn was shaking.

"Hey, I didn't-"

"Shut UP! Just shut the hell up. You do anything at all to hurt her, and I'll get you Sam. I swear to God, if there's one damn scratch on her, I'll kill you. I will get your damn head ripped of your body and shoved into your ass." And with that, Quinn left, slamming the door behind her and leaving a stunned Sam in her wake.

* * *

Well, this wasn't exactly meant to be written, but I had fun doing it. Do excuse the blatant Glee bashing, because I'm just not liking this season. Anyway, since this story is totally out of the blue, I have no idea what's happening next, so any ideas are very welcome.

Thank you all so much for the reviews:)

**Mil: **Here it is:)

Also, un-betaed, so point out the errors.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **If Sam was that scared, then why wouldn't he?

**Chapter Title: **Why'd you go and do that now?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings: **Initial Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one-sided, eventual Rachel/Quinn.

* * *

"But then how d'you get to the folder?"asked Quinn. She knew perfectly well how to navigate this particular application, but something within her was prompting her to bring her damsel-in-distress act on just to have Rachel be her knight in shining armour. Plus, having the brunette come so close to her didn't hurt either.

"Just go into the Alerts tab," said Rachel."Here, like this."

Watching Rachel lean over Quinn's lap to reach the laptop, and watching Quinn's resulting expression was proving to be a little to much for Sam. He knew that he'd gone way too far the other day with Quinn, and that there was no way in hell that he'd go and actually do all the things he'd blurted out, but that did not mean that she'd just go about acting like.. . like... Well, like the way she was acting.

His girlfriend - okay, his gay beard, was practically drooling all over Berry's silky, shiny hair. Under other circumstances, he would have been tempted to ask the midget for grooming tips, but at this particular point in time he was inclined towards wrapping it around her neck and strangling her with it. What the hell did Quinn think she was doing?

He got the fact that she was attracted to Berry. He knew all about being attracted to someone who you though was definitely not batting for your team, but that didn't mean that you went about trying to convert him or her. He was attracted as hell towards Noah Puckerman, resident bad-ass and also resident Mr. I'll Flirt With Any Female That Has A Pulse. It wasn't as if he _enjoyed_ Santana getting her bitchy little hands all over those disastrously hot abs, but did that ever prompt him into stamping his name over Puck's chest? No.

So Sam did the only thing he could to get Berry off his gir- sorry, gay beard - he enlisted Finn's help. Now that might seem more dangerous than all the things he'd threatened to do earlier put together, considering the fact that Finn's brain-size was inversely proportional to that of the rest of his body, but the thing with Finn was that the oaf was prone to acting like an idiot for fifty-five minutes and then miraculously turning into the victimized, pure-soul hero for the remaining five minutes of an hour. It was a weekly event, and Sam figured that he could use Finn's super-heroic ability to turn oh-so-appealing and good to his advantage. Not to mention his jealousy and tendency to only look towards his girlfriend when someone else did the same.

"Dude, you and Berry still an item?" he asked, nudging the boy sitting next to him.

"Course we are. Why? I thought you were with Quinn."

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just.. well, I sorta saw her with Puckerman the other day, and she's been hanging out with Quinn so much these days that I'm wondering when she gets time for you," said Sam, waiting for that spark of realization in Finn's eyes...

Waiting...

Still waiting, till about five minutes later the other boys eyebrows furrowed and a confused expression came over his face.

"Wait, what d'you mean by with Puckerman? With Puckerman like she's with _me_?"

"I dunno about all that. I just saw them at that coffee shop, and there wasn't anyone with them." Not entirely true, as that particular meeting had actually been between Rachel's dads and Puck's mom, with kids being dragged along reluctantly.

"Dude, what the hell? You're telling me this now?"

"It was just a few days ago. And I thought you guys might be taking a break or something."

Finn turned around and it just so happened that Puck chose that particular moment to lean towards Rachel in order to tell her that he needed her help to understand which redundant artist Mr. Shue was talking about, and he got to see Puck whisper in his girlfriend's ear, with her responding with an amused chuckle that looked a little to giggly to him.

* * *

"So um..."

"Sam, if you want to say something to me, I suggest you get on with it. I have an appointment for color therapy in forty minutes."

"I just wanted to tell you that I've enjoyed working with you so far, and you're not nearly as bad as everyone says."

"Thank you Sam. That's a very sweet thing to say. I'm glad to find another person who has managed to rise above the petty nonsense that most of my fellow Glee-clubbers engage in."

"Another?"

"Well, I'm sure you've noticed the fact that Finn and Quinn have also taken a liking to me."

"Yeah, about that... I don't know whether I should say this, but I don't really think that Quinn's taken that much of a liking to you."

"Why would you say that? She's turned over a new leaf over the summer. I knew that beneath that hard surface, there lurked a kindred soul."

"God, you really believe that, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Rachel, I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but I think you're a nice girl and I should warn you that it's all just an act. I was at her place the other day and I heard her talking to some of her cheerleader friends. She's back as the Captain and stuff, but her rep's still not what it used to be. They think she's gone soft, so she's befriended you and in a week or so, she's going to use that friendship to humiliate you in front of the whole school. That's how she's going to prove herself."

"Y-You're lying."

"Why'd I do that? You don't deserve that, so I'm just giving you a heads up. Take it or leave it, but you'll see for yourself soon. Quinn doesn't like you, Rachel. She's my girlfriend, and I love her, but she does have a tendency to be ruthless when she wants."

"But... I though she'd changed," said Rachel, moving towards the door as she got lost in her own thoughts. She didn't understand why Quinn would do anything like that, but as far as she could see, Sam had no ulterior motives. He had no reason to lie about something like that, because he was a completely neutral party. If anything, Quinn's notoriety would only be good for his own status.

Rachel had really believed that the other girl had sorted herself out. The way Quinn had been behaving for the past weeks had led her to believe that she'd finally let go of some of her reservations and insecurities, but apparently that wasn't the case. Quinn was a remarkably good actor - she'd managed to lie about the fact that she was pregnant, who the baby's father was and that the baby was going to be a part of Mr. Shuester's family. Rachel knew she was good at reading people, but then Quinn Fabray was the one exception to most of her rules.

Finn, who'd come towards Rachel when he'd seen Sam approach his girlfriend had overheard the entire conversation. He'd been meaning to interfere before, when it looked as if Sam was coming on to Rachel, but he'd held back when he heard the rest of the conversation. He should have guessed that Quinn would be up to something. Well, at least Rachel would stop blabbering about his ex-girlfriend all the time. But... What if Quinn's typical bitchiness could be used to his advantage? Yes, these were the five minutes when the gears of Finn's brains worked smoothly.

* * *

"Quinn, Puck still listens to you, doesn't he?"

"Everyone still listens to me, Finn. Why d'you ask?"

"I need your help. Rachel's been acting weird lately, and I think it's because Puck's hitting on her."

"He's been WHAT? That ass."

"I know! She's my girlfriend and he knows it. He's doing the same thing that he did with you, but I'm not going to let him this time. Please help me," said Finn.

Quinn regarded the boy standing in front of her with a mixture of amusement and irritation. If Puck really was hitting on Rachel, then she would have no choice but to help Finn. Not that she wanted Rachel to stay with Finn, but between him and Puck, she'd choose him. Getting Rachel away from Finn was always easier than getting her away from Puck, who could be a wonderfully attentive boyfriend if he chose to be. She didn't want that twit sinking his claws into Rachel.

"Relax Finn. I don't mind helping you, but I'm not sure what I can do exactly. Puck listen's to me, but he can't control his inner-flirt no matter who asks him to. If he's after Rachel, then she's the only one who can stop him."

"But Quinn," whined Finn," how do I know she'll stop him? Just speak to him once. Please. I know what you want, and it's not possible if Rachel's with Puck. He'll protect her."

_"Yeah, unlike you,"_ thought Quinn, till what Finn had said fully registered in her head.

"Wait, what?"

"I said, he won't let you make fun of her."

"Why would I make fun of her? Rachel and I have become friends now Finn, in case you haven't noticed."

"Come off it Quinn. Everyone knows you're just pretending to be her friend so that you can back-stab her later."

"Who the hell told you that?" asked Quinn. She knew that Finn couldn't have thought that up by himself, and if any such gossip had been circulating, it would have reached her ears by now.

"I heard Sam telling Rachel. I think he was trying to tip her off."

"Sam was telling Rachel all this? When?"

"Yesterday, I think," he said, concentrating so hard that he didn't notice the almost murderous look on Quinn's face. Rachel's strange behavior yesterday afternoon and this morning now became clear to her. Oh God, she couldn't even imagine what the poor girl must be feeling.

"That scheming moron - listen Finn, I'll talk to you some other time, and I'll clarify this whole Puck thing, but I need to go now," said Quinn, going off towards the canteen before Finn even had the chance to respond.

* * *

Would you believe that I sort of forgot about this story?... You wouldn't, but I really did. Sorry.

**Mil:** It'll definitely all lighten up. There won't be too much drama or angst. And I love the paring too:)

**Anonymous: **Thank you:) It WAS a one-shot.. but well, that's obviously no longer the case.

BTW, I thought it might be nice to start the title of every chapter with a Why? but that's no longer seeming like such a clever idea, since I'm sort of running out of ideas. SO any suggestions with a Why? thing are welcome.(Read this as : Help! My imagination sucks.)

Another BTW, I love taking digs at Glee in the chapters, and I have major issues with it, but I don't hate it or anything. That show gave me Rachel and Quinn and the awesomeness that is Dianna Agron. It's a love-hate relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: **Some things aren't supposed to be said just anywhere.

**Chapter Title: **Why couldn't we be more careful?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings: **Initial Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one-sided, eventual Rachel/Quinn.

* * *

"Hey sweetheart," said Quinn as she walked up to Sam and took his hand."We need to talk." She dragged him out of the canteen and away from is gawking football buddies, not stopping till they'd reached end of the corridor.

"Tell me Sam, are you stupid, or do you think I am?" she said, backing him up against the wall.

"What the hell are you going on about?"

"Judging by the fact that you're pretty much shaking, I think you know. I told you, didn't I? I told you to leave her alone, but no, you had to think that you're some sort of genius who'd come up with a secret plan to turn her against me."

"I'm not trying to turn her against you."

"Oh yeah? So you told her that I was planning to humiliate her because you wanted her to marry me, right?"

"No, I told her that so you wouldn't start making out with her in the middle of school," said Sam, shrugging off Quinn's hand. "Did you see the way you were looking at her? You could get a rainbow flag and stick it to your head and it'd still be less obvious."

"Not the point, you pressed lemon. Not the point."

"Not for you, maybe, but it's the only point for me," said Sam, lowering his voice as people started to swarm around, grabbing books and going to classes. "I can't talk about this right now, Quinn. I've got a class."

"But I've got a free period, and if you don't come with me I'll utilize it to advertise exactly how uninterested you are in sex with girls. You know, that thing about walking so slowly that you start to go backwards."

"Quinn!"

"You're not the only one who's a selfish ass, Evans. Library. Right now," said Quinn, not giving him a chance to respond before turning on her heel and walking off, with the satisfaction of hearing his shuffling footsteps behind her.

Quinn didn't really want to make Sam skip a period, because all said and done, she was very pro-education and fairly uptight about things like bunking classes. Well, she was actually fairly uptight about a lot of things, like not defacing walls with suspiciously detailed drawings of a certain someone who's suspicious naked details she couldn't possibly know unless she'd been ogling said someone, or maybe continuously dating people of the opposite gender just to prove that she wasn't gay, even though it clearly went against her feminist beliefs. Not to mention the sheer childishness of promise rings. Wasn't Quinn Fabray supposed to be sophisticated?

Anyway, the point being that she didn't want to take someone out of an educational experience for no reason, but given McKinley's record, she highly doubted it would be all that educational. He'd probably forget whatever he knew before. So really, she was sort of doing him a favor. Because dragging him to the library and murdering him with paper cuts was better than leaving him to lust over the not-so-hot English teacher, and the fairly hot but totally straight Noah Puckerman.

"Now, sit down and tell me exactly what you went and told Rachel."

"You don't know and you're this pissed off?... I told her that you needed to get back to the place you used to be in social circles, so you were just getting close to her to be able to humiliate her in front of the whole school later. And that I'd heard you boasting about it to some of your friends."

Quinn had to hand it to Sam - he didn't look nearly as afraid as most people would with the look she was shooting him right now.

"And what exactly did you hope to achieve by doing that, Blondie?"

"Quinn, I'm dumb, but it's not like my brain's not in my head or something. You're not going to back off her, I can see that. But even you can't chase after someone who refuses to even look at your face," said Sam, sitting back smugly.

"And you think I'll just sit there and let you do that?"

"Like you're gonna have a choice. Just give this up, Quinn," he said, leaning forward."We just have a few more years in this place. Then we're out of here, free to do whatever we want. Can't you wait?"

"Wait for what, Sam? Wait for my parents to ever accept me for who I am as opposed to what they want me to be. Wait for people to stop being ignorant and hateful and bigoted? Because then I'll wait till the time I die."

"Quinn, cut it out, okay? Just cut out all this idealistic bullshit that you've got going on. It's one thing to give me this little speech to make me feel guilty, and it's another to go out and do it. I did, and I know that all this stuff does nothing for you when people are beating the shit out of you for trying to be yourself."

"Sam-"

"No! Enough already. Don't you get that you won't be miraculously accepted? You're special Quinn, you are, but not that special. No one's gonna even look at you except to cover you with slushies, and the teachers aren't to bothered about bullying around here. Plus, when it gets to your parents, you'll be in so much trouble."

"Why the hell do you care?" asked Quinn."That's my problem, not yours." She'd spent almost all of her time thinking about the same things he was saying to her, and it wasn't as if she wasn't scared.

There were times when she'd wake up in the middle of the night trembling thinking of what would happen when her dirty little secret finally got out. But that had been happening for years now - the fear, the secretiveness and the endless repression - and she knew that she just couldn't handle it anymore. She was suffocating herself with what she had been doing for so many years, and it was getting harder and harder to keep up the act. The other day she'd been just watching TV with her mom when an overwhelming urge to say "I'm gay" came over her. She managed to come back to her senses in time, but it wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time that that'd happened.

"Because believe it or not, I do happen to care about you. I'm not gonna lie to you and say that I'm like crushing on you or something, but I do care about you. And you're all enthusiastic right now, but if you go and get a girlfriend... It's not gonna be pretty... Quit staring at me. I'm telling you the truth."

"You're trying to get Rachel to never look at me again because you 'care'. Really, Sam?"

"Never said that was the only reason. People will be all over me if you dump me for a _girl,_" he said, leaning closer to her and looking around yet again to make sure that no one was in the vicinity."And 'round here, they can make anything out of... Well, anything."

"Sam, I... I'm sorry," said Quinn, looking into his astonished face."What you did to Rachel was unfair, but I supposed what I'm doing to you is unfair too... You know what, I promise I'll cut you out of this mess before doing anything even remotely connected to Rachel."

"That's not possible."

"Anything's possible. You just need my brains... Now, the only thing we need to do to keep you away from my problems, is to make it appear as if you were the one who got yourself out of them."

"Huh?" Quinn sighed as she saw his blank face, knowing that he hadn't registered a word she'd said. One of the side effects of hanging out with Rachel was that she'd forgotten to instantly dumb down all her statements to make them digestible for her supremely intelligent boyfriends.

"What I meant was that if you want everyone to think that we're done for good, and that anything I do has no connection with you, you'll have to be the one who breaks up our relationship. In a loud, public way, with lots of good reasons."

"And how's that going to help?"

"You really are clueless, aren't you? Sam, if we break up for a plausible reason that isn't your fault, then no one will even think to blame you if, and that's a big if, anything happens concerning me afterwards. In fact..."

"In fact what?" asked Sam, as Quinn's face lit up a little too brightly. He was slow, but even he'd figured out what that look meant.

"I've just had the most wonderful idea."

"Quinn..." he trailed off warningly.

"No, no. It's nothing bad. Well, not really," she said, flashing him her brightest grin. Not many people got around to seeing that grin; partially because it was very rare for her to let her guard down enough, but mainly because the scene would stop just before she came on screen. You rarely got to see any expression of hers except, of course, when she was with Finn. He had some sort of magnetic field that kept camera's glued to his hulking frame, so anyone around him was bound to be seen.

"Why do I not believe you?"

"Oh, don't be such a wimp. Listen up, Sammy. I am going to go and fawn all over my ex-boyfriend, and you need to perfect the act of the insanely jealous yet sickly sweet guy who'll do anything to stay with me, including believing my stupid, stupid excuses."

"How's that going to help?"

"Let me finish. Just have loud, worried arguments with me, and make sure pretty much everyone knows that I'm after Finn and you're heartbroken and confused. And then... Wait."

"For?"

"For the entire female population of McKinley High to sink their claws into you. You may not believe it, but they happen to think you're one of the hottest guys on campus. And also, the whole thing about whisking my boyfriend out from under my nose. They'll fawn over you, you pretend to love it, and we're all good."

"Quinn, can I just say I love you and I'll be your devoted slave for the rest of my life if this works."

"Oh, there's no if about it. But you need to apologize to Rachel first."

"What do I tell her? That I thought she'd steal my girlfriend?"

"Haha. Just make something up. Tell her you misunderstood what you'd heard. Or that you exaggerated a little... I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Um, okay."

And he did, after some brain-storming and Internet Agony Aunt advice. Rachel ended up baking Quinn a batch of I'm-sorry-I-doubted-you cookies, because trust was important, and everything was going so, so well now. The plan had gone of without a single hitch, because Finn really was too much of a selfish ass to discourage someone from cheating as long as he was the one who ended up thinking of the mailman, and they were lucky enough for Santana to have been the one to lay claim to Sam, making him immune to most things the school had to throw.

The gossip, the drama and the scandal were all coming together in perfect measure, and Quinn should really have been smart enough to understand that it was all a little too perfect to last. But she was a little too distracted trying to sneak glances up Rachel's indecently short skirts, making sure no one else got the privilege, and trying to fend off Finn's advances without being too obvious about it.

So when JewFro posted on his blog and it went viral, she was one of the many people staring at her computer screen with her jaw hanging open and her drink steadily dribbling down her chin.

**"Glee Club's Big Gay Summer apparently isn't the only gay thing about it. Sources have confirmed that Quinn Fabray, McKinley High's re-instated(get the story at THIS link) HBIC(for how long?), is getting her rocks off with the new "Firework" of our school aka Manhands( a term said to have been invented by Ms. Fabray herself) aka Rachel Barbra Berry.**

**It seems that the pressure of celibacy is really a little too much for our ex-Cheerio Captain. First, she got herself knocked up(LINK) and now, she seems to be engaging in the various, detailed pornographic sex-acts she has carved on the walls of the Girl's Washroom. Is the other stick figure(with VERY inappropriate sticks) really Quinn Fabray? Were all her attempts to defeminize the decidedly curvaceous and not at all manly Ms. Berry just a way to make her more suitable wet dream material? What IS Ms. Fabray's wet-dream material? Read on to find out..."**

**"On a related note, yet ANOTHER(is it a trend? Click THIS link to vote Yes/No) member of the Glee(GAY) Club seems to be seeing the appeal of people with similar pink bits. A certain little birdie with very big lips came and whispered in my ear that the latest addition to McKinley's nude calender model club seems to be more interested in drooling over his fellow models than the people who actually buy the calendar!**

**That's right, my eager gossip-mongers. The poll(LINK) we ran earlier this year, debating whether the hunky sometimes-Quarter Back with abs that cut glass was batting for the other team, seems to be very, very accurate. 82% of you voted yes, and the rest should go shrivel up in a corner and cry at their detective skills. I told you he seemed a little too obsessed with his body(and probably those of others in his locker-room). Was he the gay-beard, or was she? Should the Justin-Beiber lesbian hairstyle have been a sign? Does he really cover his lips with pollen and stick his head into a beehive every week? Read on to find out..."**

* * *

Wasn't that way too much fun? Short, I know, but I wanted to post this on it's own. I'm not sure when inspiration will strike me, but I'll try to update soon-ish. Pestering me with reviews always helps:)

**T:** Thank you:)

**mnw:** It wasn't, was it? Here's the update:)

The mention of Quinn getting no screen time was a bit off course, but I really hate that she's not shown in any scene, or properly in any song, except for with Finn. Well, review, suggest and keep me alive:)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary: **Things get complicated, and help comes from places you least expect.

**Chapter Title: **Why won't you just kiss me already?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings:** Initial Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one side-ed, eventual Rachel/Quinn.

* * *

She swung the door open and walked into the hallway, willing herself not to shut her eyes in preparation for the inevitable. There was nothing at first to indicate anything out of the ordinary, and she foolishly hoped that maybe they hadn't seen the post yet. But then it began, as people started to turn their heads to look at her, whispering and pointing her out to whichever oblivious soul hadn't yet seen her.

Rachel squared her shoulders and marched forward, looking resolutely at the red door of the World History classroom that was her current destination. You see, she'd stuffed her bag with every book she'd require for the day as soon as she'd seen the blog post in the car, and wasn't planning on putting them in the locker, so that she wouldn't have to make potentially hazardous stops at it to retrieve them. She tried to focus, and not notice the fact that each person in the hallway had come to a complete standstill, owing to the fact that about ten feet behind her, Quinn Fabray had entered the school.

But just as she was seconds away from the class, and confident of the fact that she'd reach there with no real incident, it came out of absolutely nowhere and hit her straight in the face. The cold liquid forced her eyes shut as it dribbled down her front, disappearing into her shirt even as the cup remained awkwardly perched on her head. Before she could get a moment to compose herself, another slushie was dumped on her, and another, till there were five empty containers stacked in a near pile on top of her head. She opened an eye tentatively as the assault stopped for a moment and saw the familiar red and white jackets of her tormentors.

She also saw that they still each had a slushie in their hands, and that they walked right past her with their arsenal. Rachel turned back just in time to see their other target being doused in the florescent drink. She was so shocked by what she saw that, forgetting all about the icy drink that had formed a puddle at her feet, she ran forward, only to slip and fall flat on her face.

The thing that caught her attention, though, wasn't the horrified look on Quinn's face, nor was it the fact that every inch of her was covered in a cold, sticky liquid. No, what registered was that the laughter she was hearing, the taunts and insults, weren't coming from the voices she was used to. She looked up to see that the guys pointing and jeering at her weren't the familiar football jocks she was expecting. She'd been so used to the gang of bullies, that her brain had automatically sent their image to the forefront of her mind, and it took her a moment to grasp the fact that the boys in front of her were actually from the hockey team.

"Y-you?" she managed to squeak out through chattering teeth.

"Y-Yes, Stutters, us," said Rob Lewis, giving his friend a high five before stepping forward. He wasn't the least bit bothered about who saw him, because the teachers were, as usual, hiding beneath their desks waiting for the ragging to end so they could continue teaching as if nothing had happened.

"But I th-thought that-"

"Nope, no football goons here. They're probably scared they'll catch something from you sick freaks. Or maybe they've already caught it, and they're outside now, getting it on with Evans." He chuckled and moved away from the shell-shocked blonde and towards Rachel. "Y'know, giving him what he likes? He'll need it after we're through with him."

"What did you do to Sam?" asked Quinn, finally able to speak up.

She'd been slushied before, more than once in fact. But each time, one of her rather muscular boyfriends had been standing in front of her, ready to bear the brunt of the heckling. Now, however, it was just her and those five jeering boys that surrounded her, and she was sure that had they chosen to go beyond the slushing, there'd be no one stopping them; edging them on, maybe. And for the first time, she felt she numbing, unadulterated fear that this sort of behaviour induced.

She knew that right at this moment, there'd be no one coming to her defense, not even the members of Glee-Club she'd seen just before her eyes had been forced shut by the cornstarch.

"What did I do to him? Nothing. You think I'm gonna step near that fag? No, man, no way. Some of my boys, though... They might be teachin' him a little lesson. God knows what fucking sick homo fantasies he's been having in our locker room."

"Not your locker room, punk," he hear behind him before a blow to the head sent him flying into the nearest row of lockers.

"The fuck... Puckerman. Shit, you're the mascot of the homo-explosion, aren't you?" said Rob, getting up from the floor. He smirked a little as he saw that his friends were rallying behind him now, ignoring Quinn, who'd run past them all to go to Rachel. "I've heard all those sissies like Hummel drool over guys like you. Makes you think you're some stud, does it? Well, lets clear that up a little."

He moved forward, and the guys behind him followed, even if they did look a little uneasy. The slushies had been fine, and even the jeering because all the things they'd seen in this school indicated that that sort of behaviour was allowed and acceptable. But some of them had begun to feel uncomfortable with the state that the two girls were in, and _none_ of them wanted to get into a brawl with Noah Puckerman. That dude wasn't a person with muscles, he was just pure, determined, concentrated force when he was truly angry. And he was definitely angry.

"I will kick the shit out of your skull, Lewis."

"Oh, yeah? You and whose army, dude?"

"Try me, Lewis. Really, dickhead, just try me."

The next few minutes went by in a blur as Rob charged at Puck, only to be intercepted and caught in a fairly painful neck-lock. Puck held him like that, tightening his grip steadying even as his teammates piled up on top of the two of them, trying to pull Rob free even as Puck fought with his other hand. The entire student body watched on in fascination as he toyed with them, finally releasing a heaving Rob to aim solid punches at the rest of them.

Quinn stood just a few steps away from Rachel, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her. The fact that it was the hockey kids who'd attacked and that Noah Puckerman of all people had come to their rescue registered vaguely in the back of her mind, but she was primarily concerned by the fact that sooner or later, Puck was going to get beaten up very badly by those guys, and no one seemed inclined to interfere.

And just as she thought the fight was going to get a lot worse for Puck, four more jocks entered the school and joined in.

"Oh my God. Oh God, no please... No," muttered Quinn, shutting her eyes to block out what she knew was going to happen now. She felt sick as she heard the wet squelch which indicated that someone had probably broken a bone, and that someone was probably Puck.

"No, Quinn._ Look_," said Rachel in an astonished tone, hauling herself into a standing position without taking her eyes off the scene in front of her. Her teeth had started to chatter slightly from the cold, but she barely noticed, her disbelief at the sight in front of her leaving her stunned.

Quinn tentatively cracked open an eye to survey the scene in front, and her jaw dropped. Not only were the new guys from the football team, they also seemed to be fighting _with_ Puck, rather than against him. And the sound she'd heard had been that of Rob's nose getting cracked against the wall. What the-

She didn't get time to finish her thoughts as one of the hockey guys was thrown up against the wall, missing her by inches as she moved away. The chaos continued for the next few minutes, both sides fighting as if they were trying to kill each other, and people started noticing the fact that only half the hockey team and half the football team were anywhere to be seen. Where were the others?

"What the hell is going on here?... Stop. I said STOP!" shouted Coach Beiste, systematically pulling apart as many of the boys as she could. "What the hell are all of you staring at? Help me."

After a minute she actually got all of them under control with the help of several other students who were restraining the boys. She then took a moment to take in the two girls covered in gloop, and glare at the boys, which really wasn't a good thing, because they were looking pretty pitiful. Puck looked to be one of the most roughed up out of all of them, with two visible developing bruises and nasty looking cut on his lip, but he was still glaring daggers at Rob, who was cradling his fractured nose. The football team were all better off, having joined in a little late, and since they were her students, she started on them first.

"Can any of you morons explain that display to me? What on earth were the lot of you doing? Trying to rip each others heads off?... Can I get an answer? Now, Puckerman. Right now." She sighed as Puck just turned away stubbornly.

"Coach," said one of the others,"they're the ones who started it."

"So they just flew out of the air and started pounding you for no reason?" By this time, sensing that the trouble was mostly over, other teachers had started to appear from the teacher's lounge and classrooms.

"No, they... They were troubling those two,' he said, gesturing in the direction of the two girls, who were now both standing there shivering.

"Is that true?" asked Coach Beiste, because of procedure more than anything else. Anyone with eyes could see what had happened. She waited for Rachel to nod before saying,"Okay. You two go and clean yourselves up and I'll talk to you later. You have spare clothes, or d'you need to call for them?"

"No, we carry a change of clothing for s-such instances."

"Fine, go. And see the nurse as well. You might have caught a cold."

She waited till the two girls disappeared, wondering what sort of a place she'd come to, where kids carried clothes to school every day because they knew that food and drinks might be dumped on their heads for other's enjoyment. After they'd both entered the girl's washroom, she turned back to the boys.

"Now gentlemen, would you care to explain to me why you were assaulting those girls."

"We weren't assaulting them."

"Yes you were. I don't know what you've been told around here, but that does in fact count as assault. Now, why were you doing it?"

"Oh those little invertebrates aren't going to tell you," said Coach Sylvester as she entered the school, Becky trailing behind her. "Becky, hand that rag to Coach Beiste, and then go and disinfect your hands."

"Yes Coach," said Becky, obediently sliding the printed version of Jacob's blog post to Coach Beiste, who scanned the contents of the document quickly, a disgusted look crossing her face.

"This, this is why? This is why you'd humiliate two people who's personal lives have already been splashed over the internet. This is why you'd run the risk of either of them catching pneumonia?"

"It's sick."

"You are the ones who're sick, Mr. Lewis. Attacking two girls like that with no prior warning. Five against one. You are sick, and what's more, you're cowards. Get into Principle Figgin's office and wait there." She turned to look for Sue, but the other woman was gone, scouring the school grounds for a boy she was sure was in far worse a state than those two girls had been.

"As for the lot of you, I'm not going to go into that bullshit about physical violence being wrong. They got what they deserved, but I'd like to remind you that for all your righteousness, you were doing the exact same thing just a few days ago."

"Yeah, but not like that."

"Leo, there is no 'like that' in it. One slushie is just as bad as ten when it comes down to damaging a person's self esteem. And as for their reason for doing it, I understand that all of you have become more sympathetic towards Glee Club and gay people after Kurt was forced to leave the school and you collaborated with New Directions. Good, but it was your team members who drove him out in the first place."

"But we didn't mind him being... Y'know, gay. It was all cool in the locker rooms and stuff. I don't know what problem Karofsky and Azimo had with him."

"You're not getting the point. The whole lot of you, you bully people just for the sake of it. I'm not saying that what happened right now was bad just because it was done out of bigotry. It was bad, because it was dangerous, period. Bullying, for whatever reason, is wrong. And especially bullying like that. Hitting someone who can't hit you back, just for the fun of it, because you think they look weird or don't fit in, is something that cowards do. And I hope that you'll try not to label yourself as such. I want you in the office too. But no more fighting."

"Coach, it's not just them."

"What d'you mean?"

"It's... That post was talking about Sam as well. He's the one we came to find, but here Puck was bashing up those goons, so we helped him. But Sam..."

"No one knows where he is?"

"Nope."

* * *

"Move. All of you, scamper away from that boy before I have you arrested."

Sue walked up to Sam as the boys around him dispersed, bending down to get a good look at his face. He seemed to be going better than she'd thought.

"You okay there, trouty mouth?" He nodded slightly, and she hooked one arm under him, supporting him up. "All of you, my office. Come on kid. You need the nurse. And by that, I am not referring to Boobs McGee. Or the crazed baboon Schuester kept for a wife. You think anything's broken?"

"No. They didn't - Ouch. They didn't hit me much. Just knocked me down, that's all."

"Well then what the hell am I lugging around those fifty pound lips of yours for?" she said, letting go of him. Once she was sure he wasn't having any difficulty standing up, she scanned the grounds to make sure that no one was around before speaking.

"Now, are those things in that article true?"

"Yes."

"Fine. I'm going to say something now Evans, and if you repeat it, you'll have far bigger worries than where to find your next beehive. And I happen to have called the whether department of this state and gotten the wind redirected, so don't try telling me that my words carried."

"Um... What?"

"Nothing. My neuron killing laser targeted especially on Schuester's idiots seems to be working. So before it eats your entire brain, I'll get to the point. Sue Sylvester supports you. Okay? What happened to you right now is more than enough to get all of those bigots suspended. I couldn't do anything for Miss Porcelain, and are you good enough compensation? Hardly, but I'll take what I can get. So you don't need to get worked up about them. Understood what I said?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, I need to make those lasers work faster."

* * *

Rachel watched Quinn out of the corner of her eye as the girl carefully wiped off the last remanents of corn syrup from her eyebrows and checked to make sure that it was all gone. They hadn't spoken a word since they'd entered, except when Quinn had shoved Rachel's head under the hairdryer because she'd been shivering even harder after washing it.

Since the slushie clean up ritual was so familiar to Rachel that she barely had to put any thought into it, she'd made use of the time by thinking about the article Jacob had printed on his blog. She'd read it this morning on the way to school, and hadn't gotten any time to process as her Dad dropped her off at the gate almost immediately. And although it had shocked the life out of her, she couldn't help but wonder where he got that idea from.

Jacob Ben Israel had a lot of things stacked up against him, like his hair, but false news wasn't one of them. Rachel strongly suspected that he'd been paying the AV Club by selling the... accessories he procured from his other victims. She needed to chat with Lauren about who she took bribes from. The girl had Noah Puckerman wrapped around her little finger. She needed to have some standard, right?

But anyway, point being that JewFro was reliable. An oxymoron if there ever was one, but true all the same. He was reliable when it came to the things he published on his blog, so there had to be something about this story that wasn't a part of his perverted fantasies. But what?... She wasn't going to deny the fact that she found the girl next to her... Well, she found her sexy as hell, basically. But that didn't necessarily imply that she'd ever acted on those feelings, or even discussed them.

Rachel was a firm believer in the fact that she was a person who could fall in love, or even lust, with another person regardless of gender. She wasn't big on labeling herself because she felt that it was far to early in life for that, but under extreme persuasion - like the threat of having her Streisand memorabilia burnt to cinders in front of her eyes - she would call herself bisexual. But only after giving a detailed explanation about how that did not, in any way, imply that she was confused about her sexuality, or prone to threesomes, which she wasn't.

So her attraction to Quinn hadn't bothered her all that much. She was a healthy, hormonal teenage girl, and Quinn Fabray was crunchy vegan toast. She'd have been worried if she _wasn't_ attracted to Quinn in some way after the girl abandoned her bitchy ways and extended an olive branch to Rachel. But as stated before, acting on that attraction hadn't crossed her mind. She was already in a relationship, pretty sure that Quinn would hyperventilate and give Rachel a concussion by whacking her repeatedly with the Bible, and also not stupid enough to compromise a budding friendship for something she was sure was a passing attraction.

All these things made her come to the very definitive conclusion that she hadn't been the one to supply Jacob's material. Which left only one person - the girl standing next to her.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm," said Quinn, acknowledging her with a slight tilt of the head.

"I- Did you see what Jacob had written on his blog?"

"Nope. I have _no_ idea why something that's supposed to go right inside of my stomach was splattered all over my head a few minutes ago, and that's why I'm so calm about the entire thing."

"So you _have_ read it, then?"

"You've been hanging out with Finn way too much. Yeah, I've read it, although I'd rather you not spread the word that I actually take the time to go to that... thing's blog."

"Quinn, if you've read it, and are aware of the contents, _then_ the fact that you're so calm about the entire things strikes me as very odd," said Rachel, keeping a close eye on Quinn out of the corner of her eye.

"Why?... Come on, Rachel. It's JewFro's personal, un-edited blog. Are you seriously very surprised about the fact that a story of you making out with a hot girl has been posted?" said Quinn, deciding that deflection was the best strategy.

When she'd read the post last night and Rachel hadn't contacted her, she'd figured that the other girl either hadn't read it, or just didn't want to speak to Quinn. The latter didn't seem to be true, and Rachel wasn't screaming bloody murder and running away at the sight of her, so she was trying to keep it that way. The girl wasn't homophobic, but Quinn wasn't stupid. She watched TV. Not homophobic and gay storyline meant internal homophobia. Duh. Well, that or disappearing in parking lots, or going cuckoo, or dying. Overall, not very promising.

"I am, actually. Since you've admitted to the guilty pleasure of reading his blog, you'll know that all his stories turn out to be true to some degree."

"Berry, the only way this story is true is if you're going all Spider-man on me, scaling the walls of my house to get to my bedroom, then molesting me in my sleep... You aren't, are you?"

"No, Quinn, I'm not. I assure you, if I was participating in acts of a sexual nature with you, I wouldn't let you sleep through it." Oh shit.

"..."

"I-I didn't mean... That sentence came out wrong. Very,_ very_ wrong. Please don't run away."

"How would it have sounded if it had come out right?" asked Quinn, her eyes firmly focused on the sink. She missed the dumbstruck expression on Rachel's face, which was really a pity, since that expression didn't come on often.

But she could be excused just this once, because she was concentrating a little more on the fact that Rachel had actually considered out loud the possibility of participating in acts of a sexual nature. With her. Granted, the girl made the hottest mental image on earth sound like it had been filtered by her octogenarian aunt who was a nun, but whatever. Sexual acts. And Quinn. And Rachel. Her brain couldn't process more than that.

"Um... Quinn, what are you asking?"

"I'm asking what I'm asking, Rachel." Rachel heard the slight strain in the blonde's voice and decided not to push it.

"What I meant was that I wouldn't be in a relationship with you unless you were fully aware of the fact and not adverse to it," she said, exhausting her deepest reserves of courage with that one sentence.

"So if I were fully aware of the fact...?"

"And not adverse to it, then I suppose..."

"You suppose what, Rachel?"

Rachel looked up at that, and was surprised to find that Quinn was standing much, much closer now, and the look in the other girl's eyes told her that it wasn't to strangulate her.

"I suppose that I would be in said relationship," said Rachel, almost daring Quinn to look away. Something was going to happen between them if one of them didn't disrupt this scene, and Rachel didn't know how to feel about that. She needn't have worried, though, because Quinn broke eye contact first, leaving her part-relieved and part-frustrated as hell.

"_Sure_ you would," said Quinn, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rachel, not enjoying the hard tone that had crept into Quinn's voice.

"What that's supposed to _mean_, Rachel, is that you got attacked, no other word for it, because of one stupid article that wasn't even true. So hypothetically, if you were going to be in that relationship, you'd get deported or something. Not that that's not gonna happen anyway, the rate at which you're pissing people off," said Quinn, finishing off with a humorless chuckle. Sam had been right, she thought, in saying that being out and proud was just a theory here at McKinley, and now she was wishing she'd listened to him.

"That's not true. In case you haven't noticed, I've been dealing with bigots for years. I have two gay dads, Quinn, which automatically makes me a freak, transsexual, eunuch, sin... You name it, and I've been called it. Bisexual is a compliment compared to the things people say to me on a daily basis."

"Oh God, you are so dense! I get what you and Finn see in each other now, I do. They're not _saying_ it to you, Rachel. They're trying to literally break you, and you can't get all up in my case for trying to protect you from that."

"Why are you being such a butch chauvinist, Quinn?"

"Such a what!"

"Urgh... Why are you assuming that I need 'protecting'? I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need it. I've protected myself just fine for quite some time," said Rachel, her irritation overriding her bemusement at the absurdity of this conversation.

How the hell did they get to the point where she was arguing with _Quinn Fabray_ about being in a _homosexual_ relationship with her, and the argument wasn't centered around the words gay, wrong, sin and Ru-Paul? Quinn was basically saying that she would get together with Rachel if it weren't for the fact that they were surrounded by assholes. Which universe was this again?

"Rachel, you are the most infuriating person I have ever met. Are you trying to tell me that you _enjoyed_ the little display out there? That you'd enjoy having that done to you every single day from now till the time you get out of this place?"

"Are _you_ trying to tell me that you don't get jealous when you see me with someone else? Because I know I do."

"Y- you do?" asked Quinn, unable to prevent the slight blush that colored her cheeks at that confession. Yes, Rachel was now convinced of the fact that this was, in fact, a parallel universe that had sprouted out from the powers of her imagination. Well done, Rachel!

"Yes, I do," said Rachel, barreling forward now without the slightest regard for what was going to happen later. Because if Quinn turned her down, she was pretty sure it wouldn't matter anyway. "And I'd rather get rid of the suicidal tendencies I exhibit when in range of your boyfriends than worry about what a group of people, who's combined IQ goes into _negatives_, think."

"Be realis-"

"_You_ be realistic, Quinn. Even if the two of us date every boy in this school, and waste large chunks of energy in the effort to not look at each other again, which is futile anyway, it won't do any good. Not because of our acting skills, which I _assure_ you are par excellence, but because they don't want to accept any but the most scandalous explanations. Trust me, in their minds, we will be carrying on a secret lesbian affair for the rest of our lives, and all boyfriends will be beards, or gay."

"S-so where does that leave us?"

"Inexcusably cheesy though it may sound, it leaves us where ever you want it to."

"You have _no_ say in this?"

"Don't be ridiculous... I'm the_ only_ one who has a say. I was just lulling you into a false sense of security."

"Gee, thanks."

"Your welcome... And just for your reference in case you are in a quandary, I say screw them."

"Rachel!"

"Oh, not literally. But I do believe that the decision to alter the nature of our existing relationship should be taken based solely on our thoughts on the matter."

"What are your thoughts?"

"Quinn, are you going to give the first opinion on anything?"

"No," said Quinn. This discussion was surreal, to say the least, and even though Rachel had made it all to clear what she wanted from Quinn, Quinn still needed to hear it put out plainly in front of her.

"Fine then. My thoughts are that I'll be with you. Scratch that, I want to be with you. I would be honored to be able to call you my girlfriend, no matter what the consequences."

"Rachel..."

"Say yes. I'm not taking a no from you after that. Please just say yes."

"You're with Finn."

"Quinn, do you really want this, or is this some sort of game to see far you can push me?" asked Rachel, the insecurity in her voice more than obvious.

"It's not. I-I want this too. Heck, I've wanted to be with you for months now. But I couldn't summon up the courage, and now you're with him."

"My... relationship with Finn, for lack of a better word, is complicated, and not in a good way. I'm not saying I was never in love with him, because there was a time when I was. Finn was sweet to me, and he cared about my feelings. But after we've gotten together, after I told him I loved him, after everything, he's changed. Finn only seems to see me when other people do, and I don't appreciate that. He's not the person I thought he was."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're with him."

"Quinn, after Finn reads that blog, I won't be... If he understands it, that is," she added as an afterthought. Knowing Finn, she'd probably have to go over the thing with him with a children's dictionary. "Besides, I'd take being with the most beautiful girl in school over the most tall guy any day," said Rachel, smiling a little when Quinn colored at the compliment. She was beginning to see the appeal of courtship, especially with her doing the courting.

"I'm not."

"Not what?"

"Y'know... the most beautiful girl in school. You're crazy if you think that."

"Maybe I am. But in case the fact has escaped you, I'm Rachel Berry. If I think that, then I'll soon make sure the whole world does too. And then we can all be gaga over you together."

"Rach..."

"Quinn... I must say, you're rather adorable when you're this shy."

"Um... Thank you."

"Your welcome. Now would you at least be bold enough to kiss me already? Courting or not, I expect to be wooed like a proper lady," said Rachel, looking up at Quinn expectantly. She was beginning to think that maybe she'd pushed too far when the blonde turned to her with a distinct sparkle in her eye.

Before she knew what was happening, she felt the fullest, softest pair of lips imaginable against her own as her eyes fell shut of their own accord. Quinn's hands came up delicately around her waist, pulling her in a little closer as she brushed their lips together again and again, driving Rachel up the wall with the feather light contact. She slid one hand up to cradle Rachel's face and sucked the brunette's lip into her mouth before breaking away.

Rachel opened her eyes after her mind had had time to process the fact that she was no longer being kissed in a way that she'd never experienced before. She looked up to see Quinn smiling at her, and was a little surprised to see that her hands had found their way up to Quinn's neck.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked, the beginnings of a petulant pout forming on her face. She'd had her share of kisses, but God, none of them had ever been as chaste, and none of them had left her wanting more badly enough to actually ask.

"Wooing, babe. I'm not going shove my tongue down my Lady's tonsils on our first kiss," said Quinn, the shit-eating grin refusing to leave her face no matter how hard she tried to straighter her features. She had just kissed Rachel Freakin' Berry! On the lips!... And God, what lips. Quinn honestly knew that she'd never be able to make out again with a boy without vomiting. Or with anyone else, for that matter. No one could compare to Rachel Freakin' Berry!

She'd wanted to deepen that kiss, she honestly had. The desire to know how Rachel would taste, how she'd react was very, very strong, especially as Rachel was still only a hair's breadth away from her, and it would be so easy to just... No. No, she remembered what Rachel had said about being treated like a lady, and she had every intention to make that sentence her motto. Their first kiss had been in the girl's washroom of McKinley High, for crying out loud! She needed to do what she could to make it romantic and memorable and the perfect first kiss Rachel had ever had.

I mean, hello! She was now officially dating Rachel Freakin' Berry! So no matter how much she may want to just make out with the diva like there was no tomorrow, she'd do this properly and slowly. For Rachel Freakin' Berry! And she'd also stop referring to her by that name, capital letters and exclamation mark included.

* * *

And another chapter all done. I'm tying up all the loose ends and ending this story in either the next chapter or the one after that, depending on how long the tying up takes. I have the ending all typed out, and I think you'll like it.

Reviews are love... and food and water and air. You don't want to kill me, right?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary: **Getting the heavy stuff out of the way.

**Chapter Title: **Why are people so slow?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings:** Initial Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one side-ed, eventual Rachel/Quinn.

**Notes:** Thanks to passinatelysimple for pointing out to me that while I may want to throw Finn off a cliff, Rachel doesn't necessarily share those sentiments, and I need to go easy on him when she's the one doing the talking. Point out typos!

* * *

"So..."

"So we should probably go out before Coach Beiste sends someone looking for us."

"Probably... but I like being like this," said Quinn, reaching down to brush a stray lock of hair out of Rachel's face. They were still in the girl's washroom, still standing with their arms around each other, and still not able to keep their faces straight. Rachel decided that she needed to do some research on endogenous morphine released during foreplay. If everyone could feel as... high as she was right now, they'd have the Nationals title in the bag.

"Oh, I do too. Please don't doubt that, but we really do need to go. She wanted to see us."

"I know," said Quinn, increasing the distance between them but still holding on to Rachel's hand. "I know." And with that, she moved away from Rachel, letting out a quite sigh as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"What?" asked Rachel, sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

"... This," she said, gesturing at the room," is inside. And it's... it's just us. But when we go out..."

"It's not. I see."

"Rachel, I'm not... I'm not like, backing down, or something. It's just that when we go out, it'll be..."

"Different?"

"I don't know. I guess so. Please don't take this the wrong way."

"Quinn, it's okay. I understand what you're trying to say." And she really did. Odd as it may seem, considering it was a Goddamn toilet, this place was safe; with just the two of them and almost no noises coming in from the corridors, it was an isolated environment where it was just so easy to forget that other people existed. But the fact was that they did, and they were right on the other side of that plain looking door. "But I don't quite understand what it implies."

"I do-"

"Wait. Just let me make a few things clear first. What happened, is happening rather, between us is something that I've... contemplated for some time now. And although I won't deny that I have fanciful notions of us walking down the hallway hand in hand, inducing jealous rage in the hearts of the entire student body, I do know that it'll be less 'jealous' and more 'rage', which might not be very good for our health. So I do not expect you to acknowledge what has happened here until you're comfortable with it."

Quinn just stood there silently, digesting the meaning of what Rachel had said to her. The girl standing next to her, the most ferociously open and in-your-face and... well, out girl was telling her that she'd keep their budding relationship a secret to whatever extent possible to keep Quinn comfortable. She was pretty damn sure that this was a cosmic mix-up, because she had done nothing to deserve Rachel and all the warm fuzzy feelings that came with her.

"Rachel, no. I'm not uncomfortable with us. At all. I've had time too. I've... thought about us."

"You have?" asked Rachel, finding the shy tone that colored Quinn's voice absolutely adorable.

"Of course I have... And you were right when you said that everyone thinks that we're having some sort of torrid affair anyway. So there's no point being all secretive when I know for a fact that I find it a bit difficult to stop staring at you."

"That's very sweet of you, Quinn. But I can't help but ask if this is some sort of split second decision you're taking without weighing the pros and cons, because what you're suggesting is highly unusual coming from you. I honestly have no problem doing what you're saying, but I wouldn't want for it to become a bone of contention between us later."

"Rach, I'm not suggesting we organize a Pride parade in Ohio. And you're right, I'm not going to be making out with you in the hallways anytime soon. I'm just saying that maybe we could... ease into it? I mean, S and B could jump each other in class and even the teacher wouldn't be surprised, 'cause that's how they've always been. The two of us - I think that this school needs a little more warning before it's equipped to handle the two of us together."

"Well, we are pretty spectacular."

"Uh huh... So why don't we just take things as they come? I want to get to know you as- as my girlfriend. And if during that process, we maybe want to hold hands while walking to class one day, I think I'll be okay with that."

"Really?" asked Rachel, feeling a little bit hopeful, and a little bit happy, and a little bit apprehensive.

"Really," said Quinn, hearing the hesitation in Rachel's voice. Sometimes, she thought the girl knew her better than she knew herself." I'm not ashamed of me, Rachel. I've been trying to get used to a lot of things - not feeling like I'm disgusting ever time I see myself in the mirror no matter how I may look, having my belly enter the room before I do, my dad not acknowledging my existence."

"Quinn..."

"I've accepted a lot of those things. And accepting us, accepting you, is by far the best, happiest and nicest out of all of those. I'm not ashamed of us."

"I.. I'm speechless. I just don't know what to say."

"Don't worry, sweetie. That'll pass soon enough."

"This is not funny, Quinn! You are the first person, Broadway performers and theater artists excluded, to have rendered me speechless. I'm going to have to rework my memoirs."

"Rework? Re-work?" asked Quinn, an eyebrow arched in disbelief. She supposed that this particular are-you-fucking-kidding-me feeling was one she'd be experiencing a lot around Rachel.

"What?" said Rachel defensively."Do you really believe that recording life-altering events ten years after they alter your life lets any of your emotions seep through the pages? Let me tell you, it doesn't."

"Sure. Whatever you say," said Quinn, moving towards the door and holding it open for Rachel. "Shall we?"

* * *

Rachel stepped out of the girl's washroom, Quinn following closely behind her as they headed towards Principle Figgins' office, trying to ignore the attention they were pretty sure they were getting. Not completely sure, because everyone was trying very hard to make it look like they didn't know what the hell had just happened, so basically no one was looking their way. Puckasaurus was good at what he did.

And anyway, both of them had dealt with attention before. They were two of McKinley's most famous, or rather infamous, people for a whole host of reasons, and seeing people talk about them wasn't a novel concept. Before they could get anywhere near the office, however, their path was blocked by the hulking figure of the hero of this story, Finn Hudson. He possessed the talent of appearing after all the scary stuff was over. Kind of like the cops in those terrible, clichéd action movies.

"Finn. I presume you wish to speak to me?" said Rachel, taking a deep breath.

"Damn right I want to speak to you. D'you know what everyone's been saying about you and... her?" he asked, just noticing Quinn standing behind Rachel.

"Yes, I am aware of the article Jacob published. I just fou-"

"You're aware? What the heck is aware, Rach? Why didn't you call me?" he asked, trying to understand why she was looking so... calm. Last night, when he'd first seen what Jacob had written, pissed off topped the list of his reactions. Along with disbelief. Because come on, Rachel and Quinn? Yeah, they'd become a lot more tolerant of each other lately, but considering that they were ready to rip each other's heads off a few months ago, that meant that they were being civil. Taking that and saying that they were sleeping together was a bit too far-fetched, even for Jacob.

But true or not, it was a killer story, and even Finn understood enough to know that if not handled properly, it would end up leaving him in a pile of shit. Current girlfriend sleeping around on him with ex-girlfriend of all people? So not cool... Of course, he wasn't quite sure yet what properly was, but that part he though Rachel would handle.

"Finn, I just saw the article this morning. I didn't have time to call anyone before reaching school."

"What crap. You Google your name every damn day!"

"I-Well, yes, but it was posted far too late at night. I was already asleep. I promise, I did actually see it this morning," said Rachel, looking up to him as earnestly as she possibly could.

"But why didn't you try to like... call me or something after you saw it? It says you're with another girl!"

"I know that, Finn. I did read it. I thought of calling you minutes after I did, but we'd reached school by then, and I didn't want Daddy to get worried."

"So you really saw it this morning?"

"Really."

"Okay, fine. That's cool. You can't talk to about it if you don't know about it, I guess... But d'you know where he got all that stuff from? It's crazy."

"Um... Well, Finn, I'd like to talk to you about that. In private," she said, gesturing to all the people trying to discretely eavesdrop around them.

"Why not here?"

"Because... Finn, please. Somewhere where the whole school isn't staring holes into us."

"They already are. Everyone knows about it now, what's the point going somewhere else? I want to do this here. The whole school's gonna make up so much about this if we don't set them straight right now."

Rachel looked down as he said that, not at all sure of how to respond. What was she supposed to say -"Sorry, but it's all true and now people will be saying a lot worse about you?"

She'd always understood Finn, understood his love for his reputation, his image and also how fragile he really was. Till now, Finn wasn't nearly mature enough to truly love anyone but himself, but having a girlfriend made him feel good about himself, which was maybe why he worked so hard to get one no matter what. He cared about them, sure, and he could have his sweet moments, but if asked to choose, he'd choose himself. If he found out, if she told him what the truth was, there was no knowing how he'd react.

It wasn't all about his reaction either. Rachel knew that no matter what, she'd always feel a lot of affection, if nothing else, for Finn. He had been the first person besides her parents who made her feel good. He didn't accept a lot of who she was, but he had tried, and she couldn't forget that. There had been a time when the thought of Finn Hudson had given her butterflies, and he would always hold some place in her heart, even if it was just of a friend. So hurting him just wasn't something she was looking forward to doing.

"I don't know how to clarify. I was faithful to you, Finn. That much I can assure you of."

"But then..." he trailed off, looking puzzled for a moment before his face suddenly lit up in realization and he looked at Quinn."It was you, wasn't it? This was what you'd been planning to do to Rachel."

"What?" asked Rachel and Quinn simultaneously.

"Don't use that face, Quinn," he said, ignoring Rachel to stare at his ex-girlfriend." You gave this story to him, right? It's perfect for you. Rachel would get blamed for all of it, 'cause no one in this school ever says anything to you, right? You're like the the queen wasp."

"Queen bee."

"Whatever. You did this. I should have guessed. God, you're so pathetic."

"Finn! She didn't-"

"No, Rach," he said, turning back to the brunette."You don't know her. You think she's your friend, but she's really not. She's been out to get you this whole time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rachel, the hand that was reaching out to Finn stopping in mid-air.

"She's just been pretending to be your friend. I overheard Sam talking to you about it and I asked her."

"And?"

"And she didn't deny it. It's not like she was going to admit to what she was doing, but she didn't deny it, so I knew it was true."

"You litt-"

"Wait, Quinn. Wait... What did you say to her, exactly?" asked Rachel, ignoring Quinn's indignant look. Sam had explained that entire episode to her, so she was pretty sure of the fact that Quinn was innocent. And even if he hadn't, what had happened between them just a few minutes ago was proof enough for her. But if Finn had known about what he thought Quinn was planning, and he'd never found out that it wasn't true, then what the hell had he been thinking in keeping the information to himself?

"I was talking to her about something else, and it sort of came up."

"What something. Finn, can you please recount the entire conversation, as best as you can remember."

He did, actually telling her in detail about how he'd overheard Sam talking to her, about Puck and Quinn's reaction to finding out that he knew.

"So what you are trying to tell me is that you were aware of the fact that Quinn was planning to humiliate me-"

"I wasn't-"

"Quinn, I know. Please stay out of this. You thought she was, and instead of coming to me, instead of informing me about it, you went to her?"

"I spoke to her about it," said Finn, pretty sure that the focus of their conversation had shifted, but not sure as to where.

"No, no you didn't. You spoke to her about keeping Noah away from me. You spoke to her because you were jealous, as always. The fact that she may have been planning something against me didn't even bother you. You were willing to actually use that fact in your favor."

"What?"

"In order to keep Noah away from me, you were willing to point out the fact that he could protect me and you couldn't, just to get her to help you. I don't... I have never been so wrong about a person before, Finn."

She took a step back, almost alarmed by her overwhelming desire to punch that bemused, lost expression right off his face. Finn being selfish, she could understand. They were all selfish in some way or another; it came with being a sixteen-year-old in a decidedly unfriendly environment. But right up till now, she'd believed that he did have a good heart nestled somewhere in that huge chest of his. But the fact that he'd been so... at ease with her getting hurt in front of the whole student body just to keep her away from Noah made her reconsider.

"You're not wrong about me. I told you, you read my mind sometimes."

"And sometimes I have no idea who the person standing in front of me is. Not in a good way."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means... I don't know. I'm not sure of what to say to you anymore. But as far as our relationship is concerned, if I cannot even find words to say, there's something very wrong with us."

"So you're saying that you want to..."

"Break up? Probably... I didn't want to do this in the middle of the corridor, Finn. None of this. But since you insisted, yes, I would like to stop this push and pull we've been doing for the longest time. Perhaps, with time, we can salvage our friendship. But deluding ourselves into thinking that we're- that we will have this fantasy life with a happy ending just isn't healthy for either of us."

"We will have a happy ending."

"I wish that were true. But Finn, if we knew, really knew, that we were meant to be, then why would we try so hard to keep each other? Why do we get so insecure all the time?"

"Cause we love each other," said Finn, not sure of what to say to make Rachel take back her words.

"Oh Finn... Love isn't like this. I don't know what it's like yet, but it's not this. I care about you very much, but I can't do this anymore." Getting those words out of her mouth, really letting Finn go, was difficult even now, but she knew it was the right thing the moment she heard herself say it. Their relationship had taken a turn for the worse some time ago, but both of them had chosen to just pretend everything was chirpy.

Pretenses, however, could not be kept up forever, even by Rachel Berry. It had taken Quinn to wake her up to the fact that the cracks in their relationship were far too deep for them to repair. She didn't feel good around Finn anymore; his calls weren't something she looked forward to, dates were more of a task than anything else, and she knew he felt it too.

And right now, she looked at him and felt tired, so tired, and sad, and angry. Angry at herself for being so blind to the obvious, and angry at him for.. for just being him. For standing in front of her and persisting, for not acknowledging that he'd screwed up, and that they were screwed up, and that this was for the best. She needed him to walk away right now, but he just didn't get that.

"But Rachel, I'm your boyfriend. We're together, remember?" he said none to gently, trying to knock some sense into her. He thought that she might be overwhelmed by what today's on-goings and not thinking clearly enough. Or at least he hoped so, 'cause damn, getting dumped by Rachel Berry in the middle of the corridor was so not cool!

"Oh, I remember that just fine, Finn. But you don't seem to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Finn, his anger giving way to confusion. In his mind, this hadn't played out like this. Rachel hadn't been speaking to him in that tone.

"When did you see the blog post?"

"Last night."

"And where were you this morning when school started?"

"I was.. I was busy," said Finn, suddenly finding his shoelaces very interesting.

"_Yeah, busy trying to find your pea-sized brain after it rolled out of your ear while you were sleeping,_" thought Quinn.

"Of course you were busy, Finn. Just like you're busy every other time one of your friend's need help. Very convenient schedule you've got, I must say."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it won't work."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilt, because your conscience doesn't seem to function for the better part of the day. All I'm trying to convey to you is that you weren't there for me when you knew that the entire school would be heckling me. You opted out of that situation, because it was too difficult for you to step up and do the right thing."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is. It is true... I used to understand you, Finn, because I do know how difficult it is to look beyond your own popular image and focus on what's right rather than what's good for you. But you saw what was right. You saw it again and again but you still chose to look away. That, I cannot understand. It's not possible to apologize every time you mess up and expect people to chalk it up to human error."

"I didn't get that."

"I'm sure you didn't... Finn, when you do something wrong once or twice or even thrice, it's a mistake. But if you do it every time, it's called a habit. I hope you realize that. Because right now, I don't think you have any right to ask me more questions. So would you please move? We need to be somewhere."

"I'm not going to move. I don't care what you say, but we're in a relationship. I think I deserve answers."

"Right now, Finn, the boys in the football team deserve more answers than you do. They defended me, for whatever reasons they may have had, and for that, I feel obligated to them."

"Obligated?" asked Finn, a slightly baffled look on his face.

"Oh for... Obligated. They did something good for me, and so I feel grateful to them and I would rather answer anything they ask me than answer you," said Rachel, trying to explain only as much as she thought Finn could connect to their conversation.

"Rachel... you're not being fair. I was there for you. All the time. I always told you that you were amazing."

"Yeah, you did tell her how amazing she was while you were with another girl. Or when she was with another guy. Or only when the two of you were alone. Aside from that, no you didn't. Now move, before the whole school finds out about your little problem and makes the connection between that and your ex's all changing teams," said Quinn, fed up of looking at his face and Rachel's subsequent sadness. Luckily, he did get the hint and step to the side, glowering at Quinn as best as he could.

* * *

Okay, this was supposed to be the second last chapter, but apparently not. Tying up loose ends takes a lot of words, so it's spilled out a bit. But definitely only two more chapters after this.

**Anon 1:** Thank you so much:) I always think my dialogue is way off and awkward, so it's nice to know you liked.

**Anon 2:** Puck and Sam are going to be dealt with in the next chapter. I was originally planning to do it here, but like I said, no space. Also, Puck isn't actually gay in this story. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression/disappointed you, but it's a Puck-Sam one-sided, from Sammy's side. I've mentioned a few times, in Sam's POV, that he's crushing on the hot straight Puck, but sorry if it wasn't clear enough:) Thanks for reviewing:)

**Umi:** Thank you:)

**Mil:** Ff. net has been acting mean for some time. Maybe that's why. But you caught this one, so it's all good:)  
Puck was way cool, right? I honestly wanted someone to take the first step forward and stick up for them, and not a single person but Puck came to mind. I'm sure that Mike and all would help if required, but I couldn't see them stepping up and taking the lead. Same for Beiste and Sue. There has to be at least one responsible teacher there, right? And Sue does stick up for bullied kids(like with Kurt), so thought I shouldn't neglect her awesomeness.  
Glad you liked the banter. I wasn't sure if that had come off right. I'll follow up on the courting soon, now that the heavy stuff's getting over:)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary: **Clearing the air, sorting things out.

**Chapter Title: **Why didn't you like me from the start?

**Spoilers: **Season 2

**Characters:** Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry.

**Pairings:** Initial Sam/Quinn, Puck/Sam one side-ed, eventual Rachel/Quinn.

**Notes**: Un-betaed as always, so point out typos.

* * *

"Here."

Sam looked up to see Puck standing at his side, holding out an ice pack. He was sitting in the nurse's office, having been sent by Coach Beiste to tidy himself up while his parents were called to pick him up for the day after all the boys had been subjected to a lecture by Coach Sylvester and Coach Beiste while Figgins' just sat in his chair periodically interjecting comments. Well, at least he was acknowledging that the problem existed. Of course, having ten bruised boys who filled up his entire office, and Sue Sylvester's megaphone right next to his ear was pretty hard to overlook, even for him.

Personally, he thought that Coach Beiste had hung around to translate Sue's crazy talk, taking pity on all the thoroughly blank faces before her. Because she'd already said her part, and he knew she wasn't the type to harp on and on about something. Coach Sylvester had done most of the talking, kicking and punching the hockey team (just to demonstrate how the fight had looked, she'd explained to an aghast Figgins) periodically in order to get her point across.

Figgins had stopped her after it had become pretty apparent that she might fracture one of their bones if she kept talking, and promised to consider whatever suggestions she gave. Sue Sylvester had, of course, scoffed at this. Because really, suggestions? A Senator had asked her for 'suggestions' once and... well, no one knew what became of him in the next elections. He was teaching Junior KG now, because Sue Sylvester, my friends, didn't give suggestions. She gave orders, and anyone who thought otherwise had to pay for his stupidity.

Which was why she was currently sitting in Figgins' chair, drafting out a new set of rules and regulations for the school, in which the much talked about zero-tolerance, no bullying policy would actually come into force, and next time anyone attempted something like the apes standing in front of her, they'd be expelled, not suspended. And there was also a clause exempting her from having to follow it. Very important, that little detail.

But anyway, getting back to Sam and Puck, who were still in the same position that we left them. Sam took the ice pack Puck was holding out and gently pressed it against his jaw, wincing at the sensation. He watched the other boy as Puck sat down on a stool opposite him and started down at his hands.

"So... It's true then?"

"Does it matter?"

"Dude, don't pull that shit with me. I go to the temple with Berry's dads every week. No, it doesn't fucking matter."

"Then yeah. Yeah, I'm gay," said Sam, watching the boy for his reaction.

"Holy shit," said Puck, his face suddenly splitting into a wide grin. "You're gay... your girlfriend's gay... You guys are like the perfect little homo hobbits... only, you're both not the same gender. So freaky!"

"Um..."

"No, seriously. So freaky. Cool, but freaky... So that's why you put up with all the Chastity Club crap?"

"Sort of, yeah. Didn't really bother me much that she didn't want to have sex with me."

"Duh... Hey," said Puck, looking at Sam with a glint in his eye,"you think Hudson's gay too? I mean, staying with a hot piece of ass like Quinn Fabray and being content with first base..."

Now, to anyone else, this entire conversation may have seemed really odd, considering their situation, but Sam understood what Puck was doing. When you were sitting next to a person who had been shoved out of the closet, fallen flat on their face, and then kicked around, you could only do two things - have a deep, emotional discussion, or diffuse, diffuse, diffuse. Puck was going with the latter option. Duh. But the fact that he was sitting here choosing between the two options itself showed that he cared, and that was enough for Sam.

While he may have had repeated wet dreams about Puck, he wasn't stupid enough to think that they would go beyond being dreams. Puck, open and accepting though he may be, was not in fact gay, and Sam wasn't interested in making their equation awkward by prepositioning him. He could actually get over his crush, and just take Puck's friendship as it was offered to him. Along with the perks.

So he let the conversation continue in the same light vein, debating Finn's gayness, whether Quinn and Rachel had in fact slept together, Super Mario and a whole host of other crazy things. It was fun, even though his face hurt when he laughed, and the conversation worked brilliantly to both pass the time and make his so-far crappy day a little better.

* * *

Quinn glanced over at Rachel, still not sure of whether to shout at her or hug her. She'd known that Rachel was exceptional, that she could do things that others in her position would laugh at, and she'd always admired the other girl for that. Now, she just wanted to shake her and shee if there was a rattling inside her cranium. Because what sort of a person passed up the opportunity to have those apes expelled? A person like Rachel Berry, apparently.

Coach Sylvester had somehow manipulated the school rule book so that the new policies had actually come into action a week earlier, and not today. Which meant that, had they wanted, each and every one of the boys on the hockey team would have been rusticated. But no, before Sam and Quinn's brains could even send the electrical impulses required to open their mouths, Rachel had already spoken about three sentences. Three sentences about forgiveness, and kindness and whatnot.

Sue had looked like she was going to barf all over Rachel's pristine smile, and for once, Quinn was in total agreement as her mouth hung open in shock while Rachel continued her speech. Forgiveness be damned; if those guys were out, it would practically mean an environment free of physical abuse for them. But the thing was, Rachel made a lot of points that made her feel a bit guilty for wanting to kick them out, and which shut both her and Sam up.

"You can shout at me if you're so inclined," said Rachel, startling Quinn out of her thoughts.

"Huh?... Oh, shout. Right... I so want to. Maybe I will later when they start their shit again... But you did make a lot of sense. I know that it'll just end up ruining their lives and making them worse than they are now. So I suppose I should actually be thanking you for... y'know, making the mature decision for us," said Quinn, surprising even herself with her words.

True, she was mad at Rachel, but she supposed that in some strange, noble way, the diva was right. If those boys had been expelled and black listed, then they'd have absolutely nothing left to work for, which would make them bitter and resentful and even more hateful than they were now.

Instead of realizing their mistake, they'd blame her and Rachel and Sam and all the gay people on earth for existing. And plus, at least they'd be in control in while they were still in school. If not, there was always a possibility of them cornering the girls or Sam out on the streets where they really would be defenseless. So yeah, Rachel was right, even if Quinn didn't really want to admit that right now.

"I don't think they will, Quinn. I really don't. Not with the new rules that will most certainly ensure their expulsion the next time they try anything. And plus, I hope you noticed their parent's reactions. Most of them were genuinely appalled, and even the ones that weren't will ensure that their children toe the line, if only till graduation."

"_How_ are you so optimistic? You've been through this shit so many times, and you still think that it won't happen any more?"

"How are _you _so terribly pessimistic?... It's not as if I'm saying the verbal abuse will lessen, because in all probability, it won't. But the slushies, the wedgies, painted lockers.. those will stop. There's not really any other option bit for it to stop, which is why I'm so confident."

"I- I know you're right. And it's wonderful to know that. I mean, considering what happened to Kurt, it's such a relief. But I don't know if... Well, people are going to talk. A lot. And probably not nice things. I don't think-"

"You don't think you're ready? I've already stated, Quinn, that we can keep our budding romance under wraps if-"

"No. No, it's not like that. I'm way too used to my personal life being broadcast in place of the daily news to be bothered about that... But... They won't just say stuff about us together. I'm still the Cheerio's Captain, so I don't think I'll have to hear nearly as much as you do. To my face anyway. And I just don't want this to be another thing you're ostracized for, Rach. Yet another reason for them to hurl insults at you."

"Quinn," said Rachel in a rather patient voice that did nothing to give away her exasperation. "How many times do I need to repeat myself to be heard? If any of the people in this school are _stupid_ enough to believe that being with you is something I would feel insulted about, then their opinion does not bother me at all. And I've dealt with direct, harsh homophobia all my life. This won't be any different."

"Yes it will, because it'll be my fault. And I don't think I can just stand there and watch them heckle you."

"Then don't," said Rachel. "In case you haven't realized, you keep the entire school terrified of your mere presence, no matter what. Even when you were pregnant and had been kicked off the Cheerio's, they never really sunk their claws into you, because you keep them eating out of the palm of your hand every day."

"I told you, this isn't about me. I know no one's going to say a word to me. It's you I'm worried about."

"That's really very sweet of you, Quinn, but what I was just about to say was that if they are so terrified of you, for God alone know's what reason, it's not likely that they will be openly mocking me when you're around to hear it."

"But I'm not going to be around all the time."

"So what? You are thinking far, far too much for your own good. Everyone gets to hear a snide comment or two in High School, Quinn. Everyone. And I've had more than my fair share of them. I do know how to deflect such nonsense by now."

"I guess you do," said Quinn, reaching over and taking Rachel's hand in her own. "You are pretty amazing that way."

"And other ways?" asked Rachel, shamelessly fishing for compliments.

"And_ tonnes_ of other ways, which I would be more than happy to elaborate on soon."

Rachel beamed and looked down at their interlaced fingers, watching as Quinn's thumb gently rubbed the back of her decidedly unmanly hands. Their hands seem to fit perfectly together, because Quinn's was just big enough, and just cool enough to feel good in hers.

She couldn't help but remembering how Finn's hands had felt in comparison - always a little clammy and sweaty, and way, way too big to do anything but engulf half her arm. They'd never really been able to hold hands properly because her fingers were a little too tiny to be able to wrap themselves around his hand. Rachel shrugged off thoughts of Finn, reminding herself that comparing the two of them wasn't really going to get her anywhere.

The silence stretched on comfortably for a few minutes before a thought occurred to Rachel. Well, two thoughts, actually.

"Quinn..."

"Hmm?"

"Since when did you... I mean, for how long have you been attracted to me?"

"Where'd that come from?" asked Quinn, looking at Rachel questioningly.

"I just wanted to know."

"Rach, you're not the type to _just_ want to know something, but..."said Quinn,"I think it started after you told Finn. I mean, I'd stopped disliking you before that, when you asked me to help with the boys versus girls competition, but um.. yeah, Regionals was when the liking kicked in."

"Are you sure?" asked Rachel in a tone that very much implied that she thought Quinn was lying to her.

"How stupid d'you think I am? Of course I'm sure."

"No, it's just..." said Rachel, trailing off because she wasn't quite sure how to complete the next sentence without either offending Quinn or embarrassing herself.

"Just what?"

"Well, your actions before that, even before your pregnancy, always made me question your... um, feelings towards me."

"What!" shouted Quinn. "Are you nuts?"

"Quinn, calm down. I was simply-"

"What actions? The throwing things at you, or insulting you, or... I dunno," said Quinn, feeling a bit ashamed of herself as she compiled the list, knowing she could have gone on for some time. "Which one of those?"

"Um... A lot of them, actually," said Rachel, hastening her explanation at the ludicrous look on Quinn's face. "All the insults that you coined worked in some way to defeminize me in-

"Are you seriously using JewFro's argument with me? Because I'd have-"

"Quinn, you will never know which argument I'm using till you shut your mouth and listen... Thank you. As I was saying, defeminize. Always. You could have used my religion, or my African father, or... well, anything. But you always went for the one's that would make me seem more manly, thus in some way more acceptable as a potential mate."

"Mate?" said Quinn, a small smile working it's way onto her face at the word. She was pretty sure that Rachel was the only person on earth who could have said it like that.

"Do you want to listen or interrupt?"

"Sorry. Go on."

"Secondly, you drew nudes of me, in vivid detail. Pornographic because they were done with a marker on bathroom walls and had... disturbing captions, but still highly detailed nudes. You cannot possibly sketch something like that without spending considerable time visualizing it first. Honestly, when I didn't know who the artist, for lack of a better word, was, I was rather shocked that someone had made such an effort to study my body. And after I found out it was you..."

'Hmm..."

"And finally, one of the most important points, you seem to have_ no_ attraction at all towards the opposite sex. You really were lucky that you had Finn for a boyfriend, or questions on your sexuality may have been raised a lot earlier. You headed the Celibacy Club and were the only member who was, in fact, a virgin. Finn never got beyond touching your stomach, over the clothes! I mean, I know that if you are attracted to someone, abstaining is, in fact, rather difficult. But you seemed to enjoy it. And the only time you did engage in sexual relations with a boy was when you were drunk. One time, and not the slightest inclination to do it again."

"Did you ever maybe consider the fact that all the boys I've been with just did not know how to make out?"

"I did... and with Finn, I even understood at times. But Noah is actually rather good, Quinn... That's just an observation, of course," said Rachel at the dangerous look that flashed across Quinn's face. "You, of course, didn't think so, because no matter how good, he did still have a penis."

"Eww! Rachel, gross."

"You see? It's the medical term for a part of the male anatomy, and that's your reaction... It was all suspicious to anyone who bothered to notice, that's all I'm saying."

"And you bothered to notice, did you?" asked Quinn, arching an eyebrow.

"When someone admits to having drawn pornographic pictures of you on bathroom walls, you notice, Quinn. It's not an option. So... do you think that maybe you were attracted to me earlier, and your attempts to have me flee the school were motivated by the fact that you could not control that attraction?"

"... Rachel, baby, sorry to burst your detective bubble, but no. Now that you brought all of that up, I get why you'd think so. Hell, I'd think so if I was in your place... But I wasn't. I suppose that I wasn't attracted to boys, an I probably knew it at the back of my mind for a long time, hence the Chastity Club, and maybe I found you a little hot as well. Again, at the back of my mind... But even remotely conscious attraction? Nope."

"Why not?" whined Rachel, the hints of an adorable pout forming. Well, adorable to Quinn, anyway.

"Because, sweetie, you were the single most irritating person on earth for me at that time. Not only did you flatly refuse to be intimidated by me in any way or form, you sort of did the exact opposite. You went and rubbed your indifference in my face whenever you could, you got better or the same grades as me, you were actually involved in more activities than I was. And oh yeah, you tried to steal my boyfriend. Unsubtly, might I add."

"I was subtle!"

"Yeah right. I knew what you were doing from the second I first saw you with him. God, it made me so mad! _You_ made me mad. I was to busy being irritated and pissed off with everything you did, and every word you said to concentrate on liking you."

"What changed?" asked Rachel, taking the honest reply in her stride. She had asked for it, even though it wasn't really nice to hear how annoying she appeared to be.

"Well, I got to know you better after joining Glee. Sure, you were still bossy and irritating, but I know what it's like to lead a team and make them winners. You'll always rub people the wrong way. I actually started admiring you for making such an effort and not blasting their head off with the attitude all of us gave you. But like I said, you were still after a pregnant girl's boyfriend, so you were irritating me less, but threatening me more. And 'Keep Holding On' cemented that."

"But I thought you said you started liking me after the competition."

"No, I stopped disliking you. I mean, that was an effort from your side to include me in something that you knew would make me feel good. I liked that. But giving JewFro your underwear, and the looks you gave Finn during that song-"

"Looks I gave_ Finn_! Are you blind? I was singing it to _you_."

"Sometimes. But sometimes you weren't. And the way you were like... groping him with your eyes in 'Lean On Me'. Both of you irritated me with that. But not enough for you to really bug me again... I did try ripping your head off a few times, but I dunno... It just bothered me how the rest of them spoke to you all the time, so I couldn't really put my heart in to. And the Regionals happened."

"And then you could put your heart into it."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? After you told Finn without even bothering to warn me and I got kicked out. Again... But I was glad you did it. Someone had to, and if you'd told me first I'd just have cooked up another story. I was actually pretty relieved about that. Scared of Finn, but glad that it was finally out there and I didn't have to constantly think about it and get anxious."

"You are so odd. You dislike me for doing something for you, but when I act selfishly, you count it amongst my finer moments."

"Didn't I just explain to you that it ended up helping me? Bitter pills, y'know?... But anyway. I can't exactly explain the time after Regionals properly. I just started noticing you more, hearing what you said instead of just brushing it off as another rant of yours. And it started pissing me off when other people did that to you. A lot. And.. I don't know. It just happened. I got to see more of the caring, considerate side of you, the one you tried to hide with all the big words."

"Elaborate," said Rachel, not even bothering to keep the delighted smile off her face.

"Nice try, Berry. Told you, I'll elaborate all you want. But it'll take days. Or maybe even weeks now..." said Quinn, loving the way Rachel blushed and ducked her head. For such an attention-whore, Rachel was surprisingly shy about receiving compliments. Or maybe she just wasn't used to getting them from people she knew.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?"

"One last thing," said Rachel, the glittering cross on Quinn's neck reminding her of the other thing that had occurred to her.

"Yeah."

"What will you do when your mother gets here?" asked Rachel, having to force herself to get the question out of her mouth. She didn't want their conversation to take a serious turn, but this was something they needed to talk about sooner rather than later.

"What'll I do about what?"

"How are you going to explain today's incident to your family, Quinn? I happen to know that they are, by and large, very conservative. If your mother is an exception to that, wonderful. But if not, you might have a problem."

"My mom... I... I love her, a lot. After she left Daddy, she took me back in, got a job, and now she's even considering therapy for her depression and stuff. But thing is, she's a little too busy with all that stuff to be all that bothered about me and what I'm doing. She's really trying to pick herself up again, but after so many years, it's taking time. So I can feed her any story about this and she'll believe it."

"Are you sure?"

"Duh I'm sure. Rach, I've been thinking about this for some time now. Daddy was always the micro-manager in the house. And after he's decided to cut all ties with us except to pay child support and is moving across the country, I can be a little sneaky. Mom's never been that interested or that sharp about this stuff... Why d'you think I'm not that freaked out about people finding out about us? Mom doesn't keep in touch with anyone from school, and she doesn't ever pop in, so no chance of me being out on the streets anytime soon."

"Okay. If you're sure... But while we're on that topic - why exactly has your father decided to suddenly move so far away?"

"Um..." said Quinn, surprising Rachel with a smirk as opposed to the sadness she'd been expecting."Before Mom confronted Daddy, she sort of got totally wasted and called up each and every person in their phone-book, telling them all about his dirty little affair and... well, and... about his um... prowess, or lack thereof, in bed. So he can't show hi-"

Quinn was cut off by a loud snort from Rachel, who had been trying to stop herself from laughing till now out of respect for the fact that he was still Quinn's father. But God, she would have paid to see the look on his face. Paid in gold.

"Oh Lord... I-I'm sorry," she managed to choke out, clutching Quinn for support."My laughter... So inappropriate, he's your father... Oh, but prowess..." That was as far as Rachel got before going into a fit of giggles.

"Nah, it's okay. I laughed too. I was grossed out, but I did laugh... And it means that he probably won't be bothering us for a long time now. He's not going to show his face to anyone who has the remotest chance of recognizing him."

"So there aren't any chances of you being sent to some sort of anti-gay camp?"

"Um... No, I don't think there are. Mom isn't going to pay that much attention, and she's not that paranoid either. And if she does find out... I don't know, but I don't think she'll actually throw me out and never bother about me again. Tonnes of faults though she may have, she isn't that bad. Especially after Daddy's gone, I think I'll be okay with her. The loosest definition of okay, but even that's good."

"I'm glad. I didn't want to cause you any more problems with your family, considering the fact that you're already going through a lot of ups and downs with them. And I'd also like to discuss appropriate behavior when we are in proximity of your mother, but we can do that later. I think I need a white board for that," said Rachel in all seriousness.

Instead of replying, Quinn gave Rachel's hand a tug, pulling the shorter girl into her. She wanted to thank Rachel for being so considerate, but words didn't always come easily. Not words that she really felt, anyway. If anyone could comprehend her feelings when even she didn't quite understand them, it was Rachel. So she settled for keeping her arms wrapped around the brunette, dropping soft, light kisses on her forehead as her eyes fell shut of their own accord, letting her savor how wonderfully right it felt.

* * *

Okay, it's done. The second-last chapter's all over! Point out any missing words or anything. I found a surprising number in the last one. Oh, and review. Duh.

The next chapter will be mostly be only Faberry, and probably heavy fluff, just focusing on different scenes of their developing relationship. Dates, discussions, fights in the initial months. So anything you want to see, tell me now.


	8. Note

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone. It's been a long time, and the only thing I have for you is an announcement - This story was supposed to have another chapter, but that's not going to be happening now. The main reason being that I just couldn't see any point in taking it forward because as far as the plot for this story was concerned, it got wrapped up neatly in the last chapter. I've also not been all that inspired lately which, combined with a lack of time, is not the ideal combination for writing the type of finish I wanted.

I do have some random scenes written out - Glee Club's reaction, meeting the parents etc - so I might post those separately as outtakes or deleted scenes if anyone's interested in that. And obviously, since I posses no sixth sense, you can only tell me you're interested by reviewing... cause reviews be awesome. Hint hint.

Thanks a lot to everyone who's been reading this story. I really appreciate the support... and God, is it going to feel good to finally change the status of one of my multi-chapter stories to 'Complete'. Yay!


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